Finger-guard for box-covering and similar machines



H. DE SMITH. FINGER GUARD FOR BOX COVERING AND SIMILAR MACHINES.

' APPLICATION FILED JULY 1% I9I6- 1,330,850. Patented Feb. 17,1920.

2 SHEE'ISSHEEI I.

3513 \ILU 6301mm QM v M H. DE SMITH. v FINGER GUARD FOR BOX COVERING AND SIMILAR MACHINES.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 14, I916.

Patented Feb. 17,1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEEI 2.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

HEN 2E answerer. NEW YO ss eror To M. .1 .K WL ON COMPANY, or noonnsrnn, new YORK, ACQRPORATION or new YORK.

iEINGER-GUARD *FOR BOX-COVERING AND SIMILAR MACHINE S.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 17 1920.

Application filed July 14, 1916. Serial No. 109,281.

To all whom'z't mayconcem:

Be it known that I, HENRY DE SMITH, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Finger- Guards for Box-Covering and Similar Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to finger guards, and has for its object to provide an improved guard which is especially designed for use in combination with the cutting mechanism of a box-covering machine, but as will hereinafter appear the improved finger guard maybe used in various other relations.

The invention is illustrated inthe accompanying drawings, in 'which Figure 1 is a'sideIelevation of .a portion of a box-covering machine, involving the use of the improved finger guard With the cutting mechanism Fig. 2 is .an enlarged front elevation of the j-cutting mechanism, the finger guard and its actuating mechanism; .and

Fig. "3 is an enlarged side elevation, partly in section, of the cutting mechanism and the finger guard showing in full lines the position which the parts .;assume when the movable knife is inits raised position and showing in dotted lines the position which the parts assume when the movable knife is in its lowered position.

Similar reference characters indicatelike parts in the several figures of the drawings.

As above stated, the finger guard is especially designed for :use in combination with the cutting mechanism of a box-covering machine, and therefore it has been illustrated in the drawings in this relation. The box-covering machine shown in the drawings is of a well "known type andneed not 'be :herein, described in detail. Itwi-ll be sufficient for the present purpose to note the frame A of the box-covering machine, which carries a holder Bz-jfor the box form carrier. The holder B is mounted for pivotal movements .with respect to the frame A and also forlongitudina'l sliding movements, so that: it :may be readily ;adjusted to bring theboX-form carrier C, which it carries, into proper relation .relative to the cutting mechanism to suit requirements. "The web of material with which the box is covered, is shown at S.

Before the web S reaches the box-form carrier C, it passes through the cutting mechanism, denoted generally by the reference character D.

The box-form carrier C is rotated in the usual manner from the shaft 0; carried by the holder B, and when it is desired to cut the web S, the upper movable frame 6 of the cutting mechanism is caused to descend to cutthe web by reason ofthe cooperation between the knife 0 carried by such movable frame and the knife (1 carried by .a lower stationary frame e. The upper movable frame 5 is made to descend by depressing a treadle (not shown) operatively connected with the link f. The link is thus pulled downwardly to set in rotation a cam shaft carrying a cam which controls the movement of a .rod 9. The cam and cam shaft just referred to are notshown in the drawings, but at a point during the rotation of sand cam the rod 9 is permitted to descend, thusswinging a rock-arm it about its pivotal comiection z. The rock arm h is provided witha series of .teeth j which mesh with a corresponding series of teeth .70 associated with a rock shaft Z. The rock shaft Z is opera-tively connected with the upper movable frame b, and it is therefore obvious that when the rod 9 is permitted to lower, the upper movable frame 7) will descend by gravity, by reason of the mechanism just described, which is interposed between the rod 9 and said movable frame b. When the rod 9 is again lifted, the movable knife frame J) is raised and again assumes its normal position shown in the drawings.

The structure so far described constitutes thewell-known parts of a box-covering machine, such for example, as disclosed in Letters Patent No. 1,037 ,154, granted August 27, 1912. The finger guard constituting the present invention is associated the said bar will move outwardly over the lower knife so that if the operators fingers happen to be in such a position that they would be injured, if not removed, the moving bar constituting the finger guard moves the operators fingers out of the path of the descending movable knife. In order to prevent injury to: the operators fingers, in the r event that the moving bar or finger guard 10 forces the operators fingers against the lower knife, the finger guard 1s yieldingly mounted so that it will move upwardly and 1 do no harm to the operators fingers, if caught between the lower knife and the finger guard.

7 bar 1 is so mounted as to be capable of moving in a path over the lower stationary knife d byreason of the sliding engagement be tween the rods 5 and the brackets 6 The bar l is yieldingly held against the shoulders'Q on the studs 3 by means of a coil spring 7 mounted upon eachstud; Each of these springs re-actsat its upper end against a washer or other abutment 8,' and at its lower end against the extremity of the bar 1. V The bar 1 is therefore yieldingly held in its lowermost position, but upon meeting an obstruction, such'as the operators fingers,is capable of a limited upward movement. V The parts so'fardescribed so support the bar 1 that when it moves in its predetermined path it will just; clear the upper edge of the lower knife cl.

Each of the heads 4 is operatively con} nected by means of, a link 9 with'the upper movable knifeframe b. As clearly shown in the drawings, each link 9 is pivoted at its upper end .to the upper movable frame 22, as atlO, andits lower endis pivotally associated with the corresponding head 4. i The pivotal connection between each head 4 and the corresponding link 9'maybe eifected by means of a pin 11 inserted in the'head 4; and through an opening in the link, and this pin may also serve to lock the stud inposition, as clearly shown in Fig. 2,'for'the pin may be made to passthrough a transverse open- 7 ing in the stud as shown at 12. p 7 p g It will now be noted that when the upper movable frameb descends, the links 9 act- 'ing upon the heads 51 move the sliding rods '5 outwardly and cause the bar 1 intercon necting theftwo heads l to move outwardly 1 in moving to the dotted line position will a force the operators fingers'out of the path of the descending knife. If the finger guard tends to force the operators fingers against the back edge of the lower knife, the finger guard will yield and move upwardly, thus eliminating any danger of the finger guard crushin the o erators fin ers a ainst the stationary knife. When the upper movable frame Z; rises to its normal position, the other parts return to their normal positions in which the finger guard lies just behind the lower stationary knife.

After asheet is cut, it is necessary for the operator to reach between the knives to grasp the forward edge of the sheet to draw the same forwardly. The normal position ofthe finger guard should therefore besuch that'it does not interfere with the operator grasping the forward edge of the sheet, as just described. hen the operator soreaches between the knives, if the cutting mechanism be accidentally tripped, the finger guard will move forwardly and passover the lower knife to removethe operators fingers from the path of the descending upper knife;

I am of'course aware that guards of the general type herein described for removing the operators hand or fingers fromthe path of a moving work-performing element are not broadly new, but thefing er guard'h'erein' disclosed is 4 associated infa novel' manner with the operating parts andfpre sents such patentable features asare covered in the accompanyi'ng'claims, 4

Although the 'fingerguard has been illustrated and described in connection with the cutting mechanism'of a box-covering machine, it will now be obvious that it is not 'limited J to such use,';but may be used in various machinesw'here there is danger of the operator becoming injured by the '7 work-performing'element, and where conditions are such that thefinger guardand its actuating parts may be associated with the work-performing I element in' a somewhat similar manner to'that shown in the accompanyingdrawings J 7 What I clai1n is; A 7

' 1. In a' machineof the kind described, the combination with an oscillatory part there- 'of carrying a work-performing element, and

astationary part, of a finger guard slidably mounted on sa1d stationary part to travel in a horizontal path intersecting the path of the work-performing element; and connections between'sai'd oscillatory part of the machine and the finger guard whereby movement of the former actuates the latter.

2. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with a stationary cutter and a movable cutter, of a finger guard slidably mounted on the stationary part of the machine to move in a rectilinear path across the cutting edge of the stationary cutter, and a link connecting the movable cutter with the guard whereby the movements of the former will actuate the latter.

3. In a machine of the kind described, the combination of a stationary knife frame, a movable knife frame pivotally associated therewith, a finger guard slidably mounted on the stationary knife frame to travel in a horizontal path between said frames, and a link connecting the movable knife frame with the finger guard whereby movements of the former actuate the latter.

4:. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with an upper oscillatory knife element and a lower stationary knife element, of a finger guard movable in a path over said lower knife element, means to actuate said finger guard, and means for 5. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with a stationary lower frame carrying a work-performing element and an upper movable frame pivotally associated with the lower frame and also carrying a work-performing element, of a pair of brackets carried by said lower frame, a longitudinally sliding rod mounted in each of said brackets, a finger guard yieldingly carried by said rods, and connections between the upper movable frame and the finger guard whereby movement of the former causes the finger guard to move in a horizontal path over the work-performing element of the lower frame.

6. In a machine of the kind described, the combination with a stationary knife frame, of a movable frame pivotally associated therewith, a finger guard slidably mounted on the stationary knife frame for movement in a horizontal path between said frames, and means connecting the movable knife frame with the finger guard, whereby the movements of the former actuate the latter.

Signed at Rochester, in the county of Monroe, and State of New York, this 10th yieldin ly holding the finger guard in i da of Jul ,A. D. 1916.

a: y y y lowermost position, said means being designed to permit the finger guard to rise in the event of the operators finger becoming caught between the lower knife element and the finger guard.

HENRY DE SMITH.

Witnesses:

THOS. D. PATTON, HUBERT J. MARTIN. 

